The Goon
Encyclopedia
The Goon is a comic book series by Eric Powell
. The series has a paranormal
slant, with the average story concerning ghosts, ghouls, skunk-apes with an unnatural hunger for pies, extra-dimensional aliens, and mad scientists.
The book also received a release that would never be reprinted in trade format, Satan's Sodomy Baby (see below).
After Dark Horse Comics published issue #18, The Goon went on hiatus to allow Eric Powell to work on Chinatown, a graphic novel which tells more of the Goon's back story. The series returned with issue #19 on July 11, 2007.
On July 22, 2009 a one-shot comic was released titled Dethklok
vs. The Goon.
, they are capable of following orders, though only from the Zombie Priest himself. Referred to by Franky and the Goon as "slackjaws."
Hobos: Hobos are the cannibal overlords of the dark forested region known as the "Hobo Jungle." The culture of the Hobo is apparently completely separate from the rest of the world, so far as they have their own language and resemble cavemen more than humans.
Brunos: An army of deadly robot
s designed by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy, all inexplicably sharing the name "Bruno". These drones have a distinctly retro sci-fi aesthetic, and are equipped with weaponry ranging from lasers to boxing gloves.
Bog Lurks: A race of ogre
-like creatures that inhabit the swamps outside of town. Despite their low intelligence, the Bog Lurks' great strength has opened up many career opportunities for them in the city's criminal underworld.
Hags: Another of the Zombie Priest's monstrous servants, hags' grandmotherly appearance belies their bloodthirsty nature. These creatures do have their tender side, however, as they act as midwives for Mother Corpse's demon spawn.
The Decasters: The ghost
s of a perverse inbred family who haunted an old mansion on the outskirts of the city. While the Decasters had driven most intruders to madness and death, the Goon managed to exorcise them with cats' eyes strung on cinnamon dental floss.
Skunk Ape: The Skunk Ape
is a large, sasquatch-like monster with a hideous odor. The Skunk Ape is driven to homicidal enthusiasm by the scent of pies (especially blueberry
).
Communist Airborne Mollusk Militia: A squadron of immense octopuses who achieve flight via personal zeppelin
s. While apparently intelligent enough to speak French and operate aircraft, they made the mistake of allying with the Zombie Priest. The Militia was last seen being blown sky high by the Goon and Hellboy
.
Giant Squid: Another cephalopod
nuisance for the Goon, the Giant Squid
have a tendency to crawl onto land and attack cars along Crestwood Avenue.
Vampires: A coven of preening, pretentious bloodsuckers who continually find themselves beaten senseless by the Goon. The vampire
s lurk in one of the city's graveyards, discussing fashion and pursuing other vanities. It is later revealed that they are a diluted form of vampires, fairly disgraceful in their current state.
Rats: Man-eating rodents the size of St. Bernards, these monsters prowl a lonely stretch known as Rat Alley. The rat
s have yet to reappear since the Goon pistol-whipped "a million" of them.
Chug-Heads: The Chug-Heads have replaced zombies as the bulk of the Zombie Priest's army. Products of Mother Corpse, they are small, dwarf-like creatures with large, potato-shaped heads. Unlike zombies, they are capable of merging into one another to create a larger, more deadly monster.
Unlike the rest of Powell's characters, Dwight is 'played' by a real person. Photographs of Albatross appeared in The Goon: Noir, a miniseries
done by various creators while Powell worked on Chinatown and other projects. The real Albatross maintains a MySpace
page, moderates the message board of The Goon at the Dark Horse Comics
website, and appears at the San Diego Comic-Con.
The Atomic Rage: The Greatest Hero of the Golden Age!, as often advertised in The Goon comics. Sporting a fiery hole in the center of his forehead, this classic-style superhero is known for his foul language and his radioactive (and incredibly angry) brain.
Margaret Snodgrass: A Southern Bible-thumper who aided in the delay of the issue #18's original story, "Satan's Sodomy Baby." At the 2006 Comic Con, Powell's booth carried fan-made buttons declaring "Screw Snodgrass! Demand Satan's Sodomy Baby!" which were given out as a gift to fans of The Goon.
Eventually, a release date was set as May 16 with the title changed to "Satan's $@#%* Baby" and carrying a disclaimer. The inside cover, however, maintained the original title "Satan's Sodomy Baby," along with the original cover art. Four pages of the book reprinted several fan letters in support of the struggle against Snodgrass.
There has never been any evidence of a real boycott, no retailers have ever spoken out on the issue, and there is no evidence of Mrs. Snodgrass' existence other than a MySpace page created around the time of Powell's initial announcement and abandoned immediately after the Sodomy issue was released.
and written by Eric Powell. Paul Giamatti
and Clancy Brown
will be the voices for the upcoming animated movie. Clancy Brown
will voice The Goon and Paul Giamatti
will be Franky. A release date has not yet been specified, nor has a plot. The film's poster states that it will be released theatrically. The first trailer from the film was released on 20 July 2010.
In the 2007 film The Mist
, issues of both The Goon & Hellboy are briefly visible on a rotating comic book rack in the scene when Thomas Jane and a small band of survivors venture into a pharmacy to get drugs for the injured at their home base in the adjoining grocery store.
In the 2008 film The Sasquatch Gang, PVC figurines of Goon and Buzzard from the comic are seen on a character's desk.
Big Bang Theory, The - Season 3, Episode 16 - "The Excelsior Acquisition", a poster can be seen in the comic book shop
Eric Powell (comics)
Eric Powell is a comic book writer and self-taught artist living in Lebanon, Tennessee who is best known as the creator of The Goon.-Biography:...
. The series has a paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
slant, with the average story concerning ghosts, ghouls, skunk-apes with an unnatural hunger for pies, extra-dimensional aliens, and mad scientists.
Publication history
The Goon debuted in Dreamwalker #0 (March 1998, Avatar Press) in a 4-page Preview (later reprinted as the third story in the Goon #1, which is the true first appearance of the character). Powell was unhappy with the quality of the Avatar Press comics after just 3 issues, so he stopped handing in new material and waited for his contract to expire. Once that happened, he was unable to find another publisher, so he moved into self-publishing in 2002 with Albatross Exploding Funny Books. These self-published issues caught the eye of Dark Horse Comics, which approached Powell by telling him that they didn't know why they passed on the book, and in 2003 publication of The Goon moved to Dark Horse.The book also received a release that would never be reprinted in trade format, Satan's Sodomy Baby (see below).
After Dark Horse Comics published issue #18, The Goon went on hiatus to allow Eric Powell to work on Chinatown, a graphic novel which tells more of the Goon's back story. The series returned with issue #19 on July 11, 2007.
On July 22, 2009 a one-shot comic was released titled Dethklok
Dethklok
Dethklok is both a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim animated program Metalocalypse, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon...
vs. The Goon.
Creatures
Zombies: Zombies are the primary servants of the Zombie Priest. Very few seem to be capable of speaking or performing other complex tasks. Raised by necromancyNecromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
, they are capable of following orders, though only from the Zombie Priest himself. Referred to by Franky and the Goon as "slackjaws."
Hobos: Hobos are the cannibal overlords of the dark forested region known as the "Hobo Jungle." The culture of the Hobo is apparently completely separate from the rest of the world, so far as they have their own language and resemble cavemen more than humans.
Brunos: An army of deadly robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s designed by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy, all inexplicably sharing the name "Bruno". These drones have a distinctly retro sci-fi aesthetic, and are equipped with weaponry ranging from lasers to boxing gloves.
Bog Lurks: A race of ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
-like creatures that inhabit the swamps outside of town. Despite their low intelligence, the Bog Lurks' great strength has opened up many career opportunities for them in the city's criminal underworld.
Hags: Another of the Zombie Priest's monstrous servants, hags' grandmotherly appearance belies their bloodthirsty nature. These creatures do have their tender side, however, as they act as midwives for Mother Corpse's demon spawn.
The Decasters: The ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s of a perverse inbred family who haunted an old mansion on the outskirts of the city. While the Decasters had driven most intruders to madness and death, the Goon managed to exorcise them with cats' eyes strung on cinnamon dental floss.
Skunk Ape: The Skunk Ape
Skunk Ape
The Skunk Ape is a hominid cryptid said to inhabit the Southern United States, from places such as North Carolina and Arkansas, although reports from Florida are most common. It is named for its appearance and for the unpleasant odor that is said to accompany it. According to the United States...
is a large, sasquatch-like monster with a hideous odor. The Skunk Ape is driven to homicidal enthusiasm by the scent of pies (especially blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
).
Communist Airborne Mollusk Militia: A squadron of immense octopuses who achieve flight via personal zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
s. While apparently intelligent enough to speak French and operate aircraft, they made the mistake of allying with the Zombie Priest. The Militia was last seen being blown sky high by the Goon and Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
.
Giant Squid: Another cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
nuisance for the Goon, the Giant Squid
Giant squid
The giant squid is a deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by as many as eight species...
have a tendency to crawl onto land and attack cars along Crestwood Avenue.
Vampires: A coven of preening, pretentious bloodsuckers who continually find themselves beaten senseless by the Goon. The vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s lurk in one of the city's graveyards, discussing fashion and pursuing other vanities. It is later revealed that they are a diluted form of vampires, fairly disgraceful in their current state.
Rats: Man-eating rodents the size of St. Bernards, these monsters prowl a lonely stretch known as Rat Alley. The rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s have yet to reappear since the Goon pistol-whipped "a million" of them.
Chug-Heads: The Chug-Heads have replaced zombies as the bulk of the Zombie Priest's army. Products of Mother Corpse, they are small, dwarf-like creatures with large, potato-shaped heads. Unlike zombies, they are capable of merging into one another to create a larger, more deadly monster.
Miscellaneous characters
Dwight T. Albatross: Dwight T. Albatross is the irate, often intoxicated friend of Eric Powell who has made many appearances in the comic's letter columns. Albatross is never afraid to speak his mind and often keeps the Machiavellian madness of Eric Powell in check. Dwight had been arrested for destroying issues of The Goon in retribution for his unjust termination at the hands of Powell.Unlike the rest of Powell's characters, Dwight is 'played' by a real person. Photographs of Albatross appeared in The Goon: Noir, a miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
done by various creators while Powell worked on Chinatown and other projects. The real Albatross maintains a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, moderates the message board of The Goon at the Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
website, and appears at the San Diego Comic-Con.
The Atomic Rage: The Greatest Hero of the Golden Age!, as often advertised in The Goon comics. Sporting a fiery hole in the center of his forehead, this classic-style superhero is known for his foul language and his radioactive (and incredibly angry) brain.
Margaret Snodgrass: A Southern Bible-thumper who aided in the delay of the issue #18's original story, "Satan's Sodomy Baby." At the 2006 Comic Con, Powell's booth carried fan-made buttons declaring "Screw Snodgrass! Demand Satan's Sodomy Baby!" which were given out as a gift to fans of The Goon.
The "Satan's Sodomy Baby" "Controversy"
Eric Powell 'revealed' on July 5, 2006, in the introduction to The Goon Issue #18, that the issue was originally going to be "Satan's Sodomy Baby". That story was allegedly held back due to complaints of a woman called 'Margaret Snodgrass,' a fictitious person created by Powell to generate buzz about this 'controversial' issue. Powell wrote, "For various reasons I've decided to hold off on putting that story out." He states that the story is incredibly graphic and he had considered placing a label reading “NOT FOR MINORS" on it. He wrote that Dark Horse, while supporting both him and the issue completely, feared public backlash from its publication, but would eventually put out the issue. Word of the comic's release was allegedly leaked, leading to a threat of a boycott by the fictitious Snodgrass. According to Powell, "a grass-roots movement was started to try to keep retailers from carrying it by a right-wing Bible thumper in Alabama named 'Margaret Snodgrass'. She claimed that the comic was morally reprehensible and contacted local area retailers telling them that even allowing the comic to be stocked on their shelves could lead to their ever-lasting damnation. Some listened to her and threatened to stop carrying The Goon altogether because of this single issue."Eventually, a release date was set as May 16 with the title changed to "Satan's $@#%* Baby" and carrying a disclaimer. The inside cover, however, maintained the original title "Satan's Sodomy Baby," along with the original cover art. Four pages of the book reprinted several fan letters in support of the struggle against Snodgrass.
There has never been any evidence of a real boycott, no retailers have ever spoken out on the issue, and there is no evidence of Mrs. Snodgrass' existence other than a MySpace page created around the time of Powell's initial announcement and abandoned immediately after the Sodomy issue was released.
Spin-offs
In January 2010, Eric Powell announced plans for a 3-part miniseries featuring the Buzzard, set after the events of Goon Year. Another recently published series by Powell, is called Chimichanga about a bearded girl, a gorilla monster, and a witch. For more info click on the link: http://www.thegoon.com/index.php.Film
In June, 2008 it was announced on the Goon official site that a CG animated film of The Goon was to be produced by the award-winning Blur Studio, produced by David FincherDavid Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
and written by Eric Powell. Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
and Clancy Brown
Clancy Brown
Clarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles in live action as The Kurgan in the cult classic film Highlander, Byron Hadley in the award-winning The Shawshank Redemption, Brother Justin Crowe in HBO's critically acclaimed Carnivàle, and Career...
will be the voices for the upcoming animated movie. Clancy Brown
Clancy Brown
Clarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles in live action as The Kurgan in the cult classic film Highlander, Byron Hadley in the award-winning The Shawshank Redemption, Brother Justin Crowe in HBO's critically acclaimed Carnivàle, and Career...
will voice The Goon and Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
will be Franky. A release date has not yet been specified, nor has a plot. The film's poster states that it will be released theatrically. The first trailer from the film was released on 20 July 2010.
Collected editions
The Goon has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:| Title | Material collected | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| The Goon vol. 0: Rough Stuff | The Goon #1-3 (Avatar Press) | ISBN 1593070861 |
| The Goon vol. 1: Nothin' But Misery | The Goon #1-4, The Goon Color Special (self published) | ISBN 1569719985 |
| The Goon vol. 2: My Murderous Childhood (And Other Grievous Yarns) | The Goon #1-4 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1593071094 |
| The Goon vol. 3: Heaps of Ruination | The Goon #5-8 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1593072929 |
| The Goon vol. 4: Virtue and the Grim Consequences Thereof | The Goon #9-13 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1593074565 |
| The Goon vol. 5: Wicked Inclinations | The Goon #14-18 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1593076460 |
| The Goon vol. 6: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker | originally released as Chinatown hardcover | ISBN 1595824065 |
| The Goon vol. 7: A Place of Heartache and Grief | The Goon #19-23 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1595823115 |
| The Goon vol. 8: Those That Is Damned | The Goon #24-27 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1595823247 |
| The Goon vol. 9: Calamity of Conscience | The Goon #28-31 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1595823468 |
| The Goon vol. 10: Death’s Greedy Comeuppance | The Goon #32-33, Buzzard #1-3 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1595826432 |
| The Goon: Chinatown | original hardcover | ISBN 1593078331 |
| The Goon: Fancy Pants Edition vol. 1 (limited edition hardcover) | The Goon #1-2 (self published), #1, 3, 5, 9 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1593074263 |
| The Goon: Fancy Pants Edition vol. 2: The Rise and Fall of the Diabolical Dr Alloy (limited edition hardcover) | The Goon #2, 6, 11-13 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1593079184 |
| The Goon: Fancy Pants Edition vol. 3: Goon Year (limited edition hardcover) (7/7/10) | The Goon #20-31 (Dark Horse) | ISBN 1595825037 |
Awards
- 2004 Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
Winner (tie) - Best Single Issue/Single Story - 2005 Eisner Award Winner - Best Continuing Series
- 2005 Eisner Award Winner - Best Humor Publication
- 2008 Eisner Award Winner - Best Writer/Artist—Humor
- 2008 Eisner Award Winner - Best Painter or Multimedia Artist (interior art)
In other media
In the 2007 film Superbad, Evan is playing a video game in his bedroom while his friend Seth stands in the doorway. During this scene's lively exchange, two different posters for The Goon are clearly visible hanging on the walls next to each actor.In the 2007 film The Mist
The Mist (film)
The Mist is a 2007 American science-fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted Stephen King's works The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile...
, issues of both The Goon & Hellboy are briefly visible on a rotating comic book rack in the scene when Thomas Jane and a small band of survivors venture into a pharmacy to get drugs for the injured at their home base in the adjoining grocery store.
In the 2008 film The Sasquatch Gang, PVC figurines of Goon and Buzzard from the comic are seen on a character's desk.
Big Bang Theory, The - Season 3, Episode 16 - "The Excelsior Acquisition", a poster can be seen in the comic book shop